Local cosmetics brand Ythera Beauty is rolling out a programme to support Kenyan girls accessing menstrual cups in a bid to improve menstrual health and keep them in school.
The firm, which sells products locally but also exports targeting Africans in the diaspora, said it would be donating Sh130 ($1) for every product sold to purchase menstrual cups that are then distributed to girls from humble backgrounds across the country.
Access to sanitary towels is a big challenge for many girls who come from poor families in Kenya.
According to UNESCO, more than half of all school-age girls do not have access to sanitary pads, mostly due to the high cost of menstrual management products.
The Ministry of Health shows that more than a million girls skip between three and four days of school every month because they do not have access to pads.
“For every product that we sell, we donate a dollar towards sponsoring a menstrual cup,” said Ann Njoroge, founder of Ythera Beauty.
“When I was going around and looking at projects that we could support as part of our CSR, I was initially thinking about setting up a library, but I was pointed to the challenges that many girls face because they cannot afford sanitary pads.”
Njoroge said the decision to support the purchase was informed by many factors, including the challenges including their durability.
“Initially we had started donating pads but this was difficult to scale and that is why we opted for menstrual cups. These cups are comfortable and last for between five and 10 years. This means that you can reach more girls,” she said, adding that menstrual cups are also environmentally friendly, compared to a pad that can take between 500 and 700 years to disintegrate.
“In every village and even in Nairobi, when you tell a 13 or 14-year-old girl that she can become anything that she wants to be but they cannot afford period products, how is she going to believe you?” she posed, adding that improving menstrual health is key to empowering women in the country and critical in setting up young girls to achieve their dreams.
“One of the things that we do is embrace women and tell them to go and become anything that they want to be.”
Njoroge spoke when Ythera Beauty expanded its product offering by launching three new body sprays and mists.
The firm expects the expanded range of products to increase its share of the local market even as it eyes exports, targeting Kenyans and Africans in the diaspora.
The new products are in three scents: frangipani, tuberose, and vanilla orchid.
Njoroge founded Ythera Beauty in 2016, borne out of frustrations she experienced in finding beauty products designed for African women. Other than local markets, she has been exporting to markets like the US targeting Africans in the diaspora as well as other women of colour.
“Finding locally made beauty products of high quality, affordable, and designed with the African consumer’s taste in mind was still a challenge,” she said.
Following her journey of nearly a decade running Ythera, she is among a select class of entrepreneurs who locally manufacture fragrances, facial care, beauty and personal care products
